Carrot Cake

This is Susan's favorite cake, so I try to make it for her birthday.

I found this recipe in The New Basics Cookbook.

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups corn oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/3 cups pureed cood carrots
3/4 cup drained curshed pineapple
Cream-Cheese Frosting
confectioners' sugar for dusting top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch layer cake pans lined with wax paper.
2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 to 35 min, until edges have pulled away from sides and a cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean.
4. Cool on a cake rack for 3 hours. Fill cake and frost sides with cream-cheese frosting. Dust top with confectioners' sugar.

Cream-Cheese Frosting

Directions:

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.
2. Slowly sift in confectioners' sugar and continue beating until fully incorporated. Mixture should be free of lumps.
3. Sir in vanilla, and lemon juice if you use it.